TICKLING GIANTS (Sara Taksler)

Bassem Youssef, the focus of Sara Taksler’s Tickling Giants, is an essential figure to know nowadays (talk about taking real artistic risks), and he kind of makes the documentary a must-see…but it would’ve been more compelling with some semblance of objectivity; not a single competing perspective is presented.

I’m not looking for someone to say Youssef’s evil, but there has to be legitimate alternative viewpoints regarding the productivity of the role he played in his country. Counterarguments always strengthen beliefs, and hearing them would’ve made for a more dynamic viewing experience.

A component of the movie I cannot criticize: the title and its creative resonance, which brilliantly captures the levity of his approach to monumental subjects.

Given his experience, Bassem Youssef desperately deserves another platform to share his comedy-tinged insights on the current sociopolitical climate. If Netflix will throw money at basically anyone, why don’t they allocate some capital in his direction?!